Special Service and Features
A Strong Service Sector and a Vibrant Start-up Ecosystem Provides Kerala a Larger Scope in Government e-Marketplace : Shri A. V. Muralidharan, Deputy CEO, GeM
‘GeM Seller Samvad’ held in Kochi
Kochi: September 19, 2022
Kerala has great scope in Government e-Marketplace  due to its strong service sector and a vibrant startup ecosystem. So far, 1,17,740 sellers from the State have registered on GeM and the State has procured products and services worth Rs 962 crs since inception till Sept 11, 2022, said Shri A. V. Muralidharan, Deputy CEO of Government e-Marketplace . Shri Muralidharan was interacting with some of the sellers from Kerala who have registered on GeM, and the Media in the ‘GeM Seller Samvad’ organized in Kochi today. The Programme was jointly organised by GeM and Press Information Bureau , Kochi
To make the GeM portal more user-friendly, a regional language help desk was being set up where help and assistance would be provided in 12 languages including Malayalam starting from October 2022, said Shri Muralidharan. He also pointed out that from just Rs 422 crore worth procurement value in 2017, GeM has come a long way since its inception and surpassed the milestone of Rs one lakh crore in the financial year 2021-22. Programmes like ‘Seller Samvad’ were aimed at expanding the base of GeM by generating awareness, he added.
While detailing the latest initiatives of GeM, he pointed out that the Portal was facilitating integration with the Postal Department to provide last mile support in packaging, logistics and shipment through speed post and business parcel. It was also integrated with Udhyam Portal for provisional registration of MSMEs. He further said that GeM had created specialised product categories to support indigenous products of local weavers and artisans. GeM-Sahay App provided short term loans against GeM orders to help Sellers manage their working capital better.
In the Interaction with the Sellers, they talked about the role GeM was playing in making their ventures a success. While sharing their success stories, several of them opined that GeM was offering them an ocean of opportunities through its standardised platform which ensured transparency in dealings and timely payment. More than 25 sellers from across Kerala participated in the Event.
Smt. Rashmi Roja Thushara Nair, Director, PIB, Kochi; Smt. Shamila K. Y, Media and Communication Officer, PIB, Kochi and Shri Manesh Mohan, Business Facilitator, GeM also attended the event.
GeM, the National Public Procurement Portal of the country is an end-to-end online marketplace for the procurement of goods and services. It was launched on August 9, 2016, as part of the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. It operates with the three main objectives of efficiency, transparency and inclusiveness.
‘Seller Samvad’ is being organized from 14th to 23rd September, 2022 at 29 locations across the country to create awareness about the new features and functionalities of GeM among the Sellers making it more conducive for them to operate. The programme also aims at generating public awareness about the GeM platform, its nature and the extent of its reach. 61,000 registered Government buyers and 48.6 lakh sellers and service providers speak for the size and scale of GeM operations.
RRTN/SKY